Hidden Hearts
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: A young female wolf just came into Aspen Creek and has found favor with an unlikely wolf. How will her presence change his outlook on the world and how can he and his mate help her become whole again.
1. Chapter 1

Charles sighed as he navigated through the streets of San Diego, California his mate in the passenger seat. He knew that this situation was bad from what his father had told him, but no one could tell them exactly how bad. One of the humans involved with the pack had called Bran after her husband left the phone number out with a note asking her to make the call. Apparently the wolves had been ordered not to call Bran for any reason and if he were honest with himself the situation was looking a lot like what happened to Anna but without the presence of an omega.

The pack was in a meeting when Charles and Anna arrived. Anna was asking about the newly changed wolf and was stunned when the lower ranking wolves told her they were under strict orders not to speak of the newly changed wolf. Finally one of the humans, a woman named Julia, grabbed her pulled her aside and explained the youngster had been locked in the safe room for going on three days. She also asked where the alpha and second where as the third was hosting the meeting. She was shocked to learn that he was in the safe room with the young wolf that didn't need to be there at the point.

She told Charles and the Julia guided them to the safe room.

"Can you get us in?" Charles asked as they heard a young voice crying for help.

"Yes," she replied.

Julia found the spare key and handed it to Charles.

"He knows I called you so it's not safe for me to be in here when that door opens." She sighed "My husband has done all he could to keep me safe but it's only a matter of time before he gets to me."

"It's okay, we will protect you, Julia." Anna said giving the woman's shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you, my husband wanted to call, really he did, but… he couldn't defy his alpha." Julia sighed leaning her head on Anna.

"Thank you for calling us, Julia, now get behind me, this will get ugly." Anna warned as Charles opened the door. Julia did as instructed without question; she figured if a werewolf said that they had a perfectly good reason to say so.

The Alpha was reaching back to punch a young Asian teen girl another time when Charles got in the way.

"Is this how you treat all of your new wolves." He demanded.

"Who gives you the authority to stop me?" the alpha demanded in reply.

"The Marrok," Charles replied simply as the fight began.

It didn't take long for the Alpha and second to fall to the safe room floor, dead and not much longer for the pack to gather in the next room to try and find out what happened to the two of them, the third in front.

"Charles what is going on?" he asked

"Are you the third?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" the third, Nathan Murray replied.

"Then I guess that makes you the Alpha." Charles replied. He knew the third wasn't involved in the situation, he could see early on that the third had tried to keep the young wolves safe from the ones that abused them.

"What about her?" Nathan asked as the young female wouldn't allow any of the medics touch her and it was becoming clear that she was about to undergo an involuntary change.

"I am taking her back to Aspen Creek with us." Charles replied simply.

Nathan was going to try and stop her change but Charles stopped him.

"Let her change, she'll heal faster in her wolf form." Charles reminded Nathan "and we're both dominant enough to keep her safe and under control."

"True." Nathan conceded "I just feel bad for her, she never asked for any of this, she was attacked and just happened to be lucky enough to survive only to be treated like this."

"How old is she?" Anna asked.

"She turned fourteen during her recovery." Nathan replied.

Anna looked stunned and Charles had to push brother wolf down as he learned the horror the young wolf in front of him had seen and how young she actually was. He was slightly surprised by Brother wolf's reaction, as if this were his pup rather than some strange young wolf they had never met before.

"What is her name?" Anna asked her eyes looking over the young wolf, who was about the size of a small wolf and marked like a border collie, a black body, white nose, legs, chest, tail tip and ring around her neck. They figured she was so small because she was only fourteen years old and would get larger as she got older.

"Lee SeoHyun, her parents immigrated from Korea when she was seven years old, I contacted our former alpha's mate, they had custody of her, she is willing to give you whatever you need to legally take her away from this hell, custody documents, high school transcripts, medical records, just tell us what she'll need." Nathan said.

"Where are her biological parents?" Charles asked.

"They're dead I'm afraid. They were attacked as well but they didn't survive the Change." Nathan explained. "We were shocked she survived when they didn't."

Charles didn't let his shock show but Anna could feel it over the slightly open mate bond, and she made it no secret she was stunned as she walked over and encouraged SeoHyun to use her lap for a pillow.

"Easy, little one, no one is going to hurt you." She assured her "You're safe."

Her broken bones were set, Anna keeping her calm, while Charles gathered the paperwork he needed to take the young wolf back to Aspen Creek with him. He then called Bran to fill him in on the details of the case that they had yet to learn.

Bran swore and confirmed that he did want SeoHyun brought to Aspen Creek to learn to control her wolf and recover from her ordeal.

"Okay, Da, we will be there later this evening." Charles replied not wanting to keep SeoHyun in San Diego any longer than he had to.

"Good, I want to get her out of that pack as soon as possible." Bran informed him simply.

SeoHyun watched in fear as the large Native American man ordered around the wolves that stood idly by as she was abused. Would he treat her different, the woman that came with him sure did. The woman was gently rubbing her face and SeoHyun found she enjoyed that touch. She soon started giving her small pieces of raw meat that she ate. She had never dreamed that she would ever eat raw meat but as a werewolf there were days where she just craved it. She was starving and the meat tasted surprisingly good.

Soon they had her following them out to a car and Anna encouraged her to get into the back seat. She had been listening to them and learned that is name was Charles Cornick and hers was Anna, they were married and lived together in a place called Aspen Creek with someone they referred to as the Marrok. This was apparently a very powerful wolf from the way others reacted when his name was mentioned and she could only hope he would not harm her as other powerful wolves had. Charles hadn't harmed her, he had protected her from abuse and killed her abusers so they could never touch her again. She looked at Charles and began to wonder if she could really trust him.

She nudged the back of his shoulder as they came to a stop at a red light.

"Don't worry little one, Aspen Creek is going to seem like a whole different world than this place than anything you've seen here." He assured her gently "I'll make sure of it."

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

SeoHyun paced the cabin of the aircraft as they flew to the little private airport in Aspen Creek. She didn't know what to expect from this place and was scared it would be no different from San Diego. Sure Charles and Anna had promised it would be different but she wasn't sure she could fully trust them yet even though her instincts screamed that she could. She gave a soft whimper and nuzzled her nose under the hand of the nearest wolf which happened to be Charles. This action was rewarded with a gentle face rub and a few soothing words.

"We'll be there soon," he told her, "Don't worry, Da won't let anyone hurt you again."

The words sounded like a promise to SeoHyun and she sincerely hoped that she wasn't misinterpreting the kindness of these strangers.

"Can you change back?" he asked her.

The look she gave him seemed to scream 'no' and Charles gave a groan at the revelation.

"Okay then, Da will help you change back when we get to his house." Charles told her. "I figure it will be better where you can finish the change in private and get dressed."

A soft whine told him that she wasn't so sure about this whole process. He honestly couldn't blame her for her doubts, after all she went through she had a right to be skeptical of their intentions.

"Everything will be fine, SeoHyun, don't you worry, this is the Marrok's territory abuse of young wolves is strictly dealt with." He assured her.

The landing at Aspen Creek was as smooth as it could be and they got out of the plane to see Bran standing outside waiting for them.

"I would prefer not to take her to my house just yet, with her in this condition Leah…" Bran let the thought hang and Charles understood exactly where his father was going with that statement. It wasn't safe to have Leah and SeoHyun in the same room at the moment she was too fragile emotionally, Bran just didn't want to speak ill of his mate.

They decided to go to Charles and Anna's home instead and within an hour SeoHyun was transformed, dressed and standing nervously in front of the older wolves, she was worried about what would happen and what her future would hold.

Bran could see how Charles and Anna reacted to the young wolf, they cared deeply about her. He really wasn't that surprised that Anna was taken by the tiny wolf. As a human she measured in at four foot five and weighed in at a whopping 90 pounds, it was only in her wolf form did her weight land north of a hundred pounds and even then not by a whole lot. The one that surprised him was his son, Charles. Apparently Brother Wolf had claimed her as his pup and Charles was trying to wrap his mind around the whole idea of maybe fostering her himself. It would be a first for him but Bran figured Charles and Anna would be good foster parents for her. He had faith in both of his sons and the possibility that they might make good parents, Samuel had experience that Charles lacked at this point but he was sure his younger son would give it his best.

"Charles what is on your mind?" Bran asked as Anna went to clean up the kitchen and SeoHyun volunteered to help, she would go to another's home to rest and it seemed brother wolf didn't like that idea he wanted to keep SeoHyun in his home where she was safe from those that would harm her even though he knew his alpha wouldn't allow that to happen.

"I don't know, Da… I want to help her… but…"

"But what Charles…?" Bran prompted.

"Da with what I do…" Charles wondered "You and Anna make an excellent team, I'm sure with some adjustment the two of you could help her get past the horrors she saw. Charles your assignments have spread out to maybe one a month so you're here most of the time and it's clear she trusts you and it's not hard to see why."

Charles let out a long breath, as much as he didn't want to admit it that sounded like a good plan. It wouldn't take much to clear out a room and turn it into a bedroom for SeoHyun and it would be a guarantee that no one would mess with her if she lived with him, even in Aspen Creek most of the population wouldn't mess with him. He also had to admit there were good indicators that she trusted him and Anna already. That would also satisfy brother wolf's desire to protect her.

"I'm not sure about this, Da, but… I do feel a connection to her that I haven't felt before. Like brother wolf thinks this is his pup and wants to protect her." Charles explained

"Listen to your wolf, Charles; you should know I'll tell you that." Bran replied. "The spirits seem to have brought you together for a reason, its time to see what that reason might have been."

"Okay, she'll need a place for tonight but I'll have it ready by tomorrow night if I can get help from Tag and maybe some others."

"You know they'll help." Bran replied "I'll help as well, just tell me what you need me to do."

"Thank you, Da. She and Anna can go bolster her wardrobe, she didn't have much of anything, and her parents never had much." Charles sighed.

"Sage can go with them, you know Anna and Sage are good friends and Sage will take good care of SeoHyun" Bran suggested.

"You're right, Sage won't let anyone lay a hand on her without a fight; and then they will deal with me so either way she'll be fine"

Bran watched as Charles began to work on something on his laptop he didn't understand. He knew it had to do with finances but he didn't know what that was. He had a good feeling that it might have something to do with SeoHyun and her finiancial future. Charles was an expert with finances and given the time she would be in his care he could set up her books so she would be financially set for college or whatever she planned to the near future once she left Charles' care.

Anna and SeoHyun returned to the living room and Bran suggested that SeoHyun stay with Sage until her room was ready, what he didn't tell them was that he had already checked with Sage and she had approved of the idea.

It didn't take long for Sage to arrive, but it did take a little while for her to get over the shock at the appearance of the tiny female werewolf.

"She is so tiny!" Sage proclaimed in shock, Bran had warned her that SeoHyun was little but she was thinking maybe five feet tall, not shorter than that.

"She is less than four and a half feet tall and doesn't tip the scale at one hundred pounds soaking wet." Bran explained "Her first language is Korean but she speaks fluent English."

SeoHyun had joined Anna in the kitchen to help her fix dinner for everyone and it was becoming clear she had not been taught to use her senses to their full potential yet as she wasn't reacting to what Bran had said, either that or she wasn't paying attention.

Bran's voice dropped in volume as Charles joined them and he could tell Anna was listening as well though SeoHyun seemed to not be able to hear them very well.

"She was born in Hyesan, North Korea, her family defected when she was just a tiny babe, she was still in diapers when they finally managed to get to South Korea where she attended primary and grammar school before her father's job transferred them to North America where she has lived since." Bran told them.

"She and her parents were all attacked by a rogue wolf, the sad part is she was the only survivor." Bran informed them sadly.

Sage gasped in shock at what Bran said, she couldn't believe all that the tiny wolf had been through. She had to quickly push down her wolf and the urge to go into the kitchen and embrace the teenager right then and there and vow that she would never let anyone hurt her again.

"What can we do for her?" Sage asked.

"Make sure she feels safe and welcome in this place." Bran said "and Keep Leah as far away from her as you can."

"That last one is going to be interesting." Sage commented "But we will protect her form Leah".

"Don't worry, Leah doesn't come here, and I'll make sure she learns to control her wolf and use her sense to their fullest."

"She also needs to be enrolled in school, that will be a challenge for her wolf but with help she should be fine." Bran sighed "Nothing is going to be easy for her but she can do it. The fortunate thing is we got her just after school let out so we have all summer to teach her to control her wolf, if she's a quick study she will be fully prepaired before we enroll her in Aspen Creek School."

Charles nodded in agreement he had seen how strong SeoHyun was, she could learn to handle her powers and school. Bran watched as the teen laughed sounding so carefree, he realized that Anna had to have a lot to do with how safe and carefree the teenager was acting.

"Sage, be careful with her, she doesn't trust easily anymore." Bran told her.

"I know, Bran, after what she went through the fact that she trusts at all is nothing short of a miracle." Sage replied. "Charlie what are we going to do with her."

"I'm redoing a room and she is going to stay here." He replied simply.

"Interesting, so I assume Anna will be staying here when he goes on assignments." She said.

"Yes," Charles replied simply "She's comfortable with us so I think its best she stays with us."

Sage looked the girl over.

"I think we need to get her to Missoula to get her a new wardrobe," Sage suggested "and I agree, if she trusts the two of you then she should stay here, it would be too damaging for her to try and take her from you now."

"I was thinking that you and Anna could take her tomorrow while we work on her new bedroom." Charles replied.

"Sounds good to me," Sage replied a smile crossing her features as the idea of being able to do something appealed to her "We'll make it a girls' day."

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: after some consideration I decided to go back in and make SeoHyun a submissive wolf as that is what her behavior has shown throughout the story thus far.

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SeoHyun didn't let anyone know she could hear what Bran was saying. She hadn't wanted them to know she was from North Korea but at the same time she was happy to have Bran take that responsibility out of her hands as she figured she would have to tell them eventually.

"SeoHyun come here." Charles said.

She approached Charles and stood so that he was between her, Bran and Sage as if he would or could protect her from the imagined threat they posed to her. This fact didn't go undetected by Bran who saw it as the first sign that he had made the right decision to suggest SeoHyun be fostered by Charles and Anna. She trusted them to keep her safe from harm.

"SeoHyun this is Sage." Bran said. He understood why SeoHyun was distrustful of them she had yet to learn to fully trust her instincts which should tell her to trust and submit to wolves as dominant as himself, Charles and Sage, also the abuse she had suffered at the hands of other dominants made her further question if she could safely submit to them. She was submissive by nature which made the fact that she survived all the more shocking, and the fact that she was so afraid to submit even more disheartening. He could tell her fear had Charles having to actively control his wolf in ways he normally didn't have to. That also reinforced the idea that Charles was a good choice to care for SeoHyun as he and brother wolf would make sure she was well protected and taken care of.

They took a few minutes to introduce themselves and get to know SeoHyun. She was hesitant but curious at the same time, she wanted to know things but she was afraid to ask because of how her old pack treated her.

"I'm scared… so… so much has changed… I do not understand what has happened." She said meekly her Korean accent thicker than usual.

"How long have you been a werewolf?" Bran asked.

"Almost two months, the coming full moon will be my second." she replied looking down in shame.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of little one, you should be proud, you survived, you are a beautiful young woman." Bran replied.

"But I want my parents!" she cried out and started out of the room in tears.

Anna started after her but Bran stopped her and went after SeoHyun himself. His son had claimed her as his daughter which, in a way, made her his granddaughter and he wanted her to know she could turn to him in times of need just as she could Charles.

"I know you miss your parents and we can never hope to replace them" he said as he embraced the tiny young werewolf in his arms. "We just want to help you, we care about you SeoHyun, let us take care of you."

She gave a token effort to push him away but then embraced him tightly and began to sob.

Charles came into the room with them. He heard SeoHyun sobbing and his father speaking softly to her, his words meant to be comforting. Brother wolf didn't like the sound of the younger wolf crying, he felt it was his job to take care of her and kill whoever made her cry, but he couldn't do that now as he had already done that.

"Da; is she…"

"She'll be okay; she's just overwhelmed and tired." Bran replied "She's mourning now, but she'll be okay in time."

Sage came in moments later.

"Are you sure she should leave here?" she asked.

Charles had placed a hand on SeoHyun's shoulder in an attempt to soothe her and she replied by putting her hand on his in search of the comfort of his touch and energy. She looked over at Sage.

"SeoHyun do you mind staying with Sage, it's just for tonight and she won't hurt you." Charles said.

SeoHyun wiped her eyes.

"Just for tonight…?" SeoHyun asked her accent still thicker than it had been earlier in the day when she wasn't so upset or exhausted.

"Yes, tomorrow you will come and live here." Charles assured her "I promise."

SeoHyun looked at Sage. Charles, Anna and Bran all seemed to trust her; did that mean she could trust her? Her instincts told her, yes, her wolf looked at Charles like a father and if he trusted Sage that meant she could though at the time all she really felt was some unnamed energy telling her she was safe with Charles and he wouldn't let her get hurt. She was quickly learning that she could trust those instincts not to lead her wrong.

"Okay, I think I'll be okay for tonight." She said "She seems like a nice person. I might even have fun" A tentative smile crossed SeoHyun's face.

Bran had let her stand on her own and as she finished speaking Sage came over and hugged her.

"You bet we will; we'll have a fun little pajama party if you want, I've got movies and snacks and what makes this fun is as werewolves we can eat whatever we want!" Sage said as she held the little teenage wolf in her arms.

SeoHyun began to laugh a bit at Sage's statement and Sage had a good feeling SeoHyun was going to be a good influence in Charles and Anna's lives.

Bran had a good feeling that Sage would also be a very good influence to keep in SeoHyun's life. The vibrant dominant female could teach her what Charles and Anna couldn't about being around dominant female werewolves as Anna was a omega and Charles, while dominant, didn't know what dominant females went through quite like Sage who lived it every day of her life.

"That sounds like it would be a lot of fun." She admitted.

Anna came in and told them that dinner was finished and they all ate in relative silence.

Bran pulled Sage aside as they were about to leave and informed her that she shouldn't be surprised if SeoHyun had really bad nightmares and Sage informed him that she would have been surprised if she didn't have nightmares after all she went through.

Sage opened the door to her house and let SeoHyun enter before her.

"If you go through there you will find my DVD collection, find something you want to watch and I'll get us some popcorn and snacks." Sage said as she pointed to a nearby door.

"Really…?" SeoHyun asked not used to being given so much freedom of choice. In her pack she wasn't even considered part of the pack, she had little protection from the other wolves, though she could tell many did nothing because they were under strict orders that they would be severely injured if they did anything. After the alpha and second died their orders became null and she noticed the wolves that stood by because they had to, were tripping over themselves to make up for the mistakes that were made. They hadn't wanted to let her go, but, at the same time, admitted that she needed to go, needed a fresh start that she could not get there. She needed people who would love and nourish her both mentally and physically along with teaching her to obey her submissive instincts. They saw her begin to relate positively to Charles and Anna Cornick and believed that they could be the catalyst to finally pull the tiny werewolf out of her shell.

"Yep… wait let's go change into our pajamas first get comfortable." Sage said "We're also going to look online and find the furniture to go in your new bedroom. Bran said Charles wants you to feel like that's your space and what better way to make it yours than to choose what goes in it." Sage started away and stopped suddenly "What is your favorite color, by the way?"

"Okay," SeoHyun replied, she was shocked by the amount of consideration and freedom she was being handed by the Marrok pack, her old pack never did this kind of thing for her. "And it is mint green, really I like most pastel colors, why?"

"Just curious, you can change in the guest room, that's the first door on your right" Sage replied cryptically then went to her room to change musing that she would likely have to just tell Anna what color SeoHyun had said specifically so she could show the guys because she doubted the men of the pack would know what 'mint green' was. She would also tell her that SeoHyun had said she liked pastels in general.

It didn't take them long to change and SeoHyun went to look through the movies as Sage made popcorn and gathered up some other snacks for their pajama party.

"Sage can we watch this?" SeoHyun asked holding up a copy of The Hunger Games. Sage wasn't sure why she had that film she had found the summary interesting but she had yet to actually break into it.

"Sure, I haven't watched it yet, let's watch it together."

"Could it be like the book of the same name?"

"I think so, why?"

"I have read the book, it was a really good, let's watch it."

Sage and SeoHyun watched the movie Sage thought this was a good film to show teen girls like SeoHyun that they can make a difference; she had heard about the rest of the series and thought that perhaps she should get SeoHyun the rest of the series once they come out. She could tell SeoHyun liked the books so getting that set was high on Sage's priority list.

"Do you want this movie?" Sage asked as she realized SeoHyun liked it a lot. "You can take that DVD home when you go tomorrow." Sage told her.

"Really, I can have it?" SeoHyun asked.

"Yes, you can have it."

"Thank you, Sage." SeoHyun threw her arms around Sage's neck.

"You're welcome, sweetie." Sage said with a laugh. "So you read the books, do you like to read?"

"Yes, I read a lot." She admitted "Why do you ask?"

"I just want to get to know you." Sage replied.

SeoHyun went to bed shortly after this and Sage called Bran.

"I just found out some things about SeoHyun we didn't know."

"What is that?" it was Charles' voice but she could tell he wasn't holding the phone.

"Well she's a Hunger Games fan for one." Sage replied "I say we set up a bookshelf or two in her room for her since I did some prying and she loves to read."

"Sounds good, and we have a good artist in the pack, we could see if they could paint the icon from the book on her wall, what is it called, a mockingjay?" Bran suggested looking to see if Charles would oppose.

"I think she'll love that, it might extend the time but if she likes it, Da it will be worth it." Charles agreed.

Bran had made the call and the human woman, Janie, who was the daughter of one of the local wolves, agreed and said that she could paint it up in a few hours.

The next morning came and Sage was surprised that SeoHyun had only a couple of nightmares during the night. She had feared that it would be a lot worse for the fourteen year old wolf. The only saving grace they got was that SeoHyun was brought to them during the early summer so they would have the entire summer to help her get control of her wolf before she had to start back to school in the fall.

Sage made breakfast and they ate then joined up with Anna outside of the house before getting into a vehicle and starting the drive to Missoula to shop.

"It's early in the year yet so we won't be getting the really warm stuff. All of that can wait until fall, but you need new clothes, this is a new beginning for you, we can worry about winter later." Sage said as they started their drive "I hear that winters back in California are warmer than they are here."

"Much warmer," Anna confirmed.

"Thank you for… taking care of me," SeoHyun said looking out the window.

"We're pack or will be soon, and that means we're all one big crazy family." Sage said dismissively as they arrived in Missoula.

Meanwhile Charles cleared out one room moving the contents either to another room or out of the house altogether. Sage had ordered furniture the night before so Tag and Bran picked that up early the next morning. He figured they would have the room finished by nightfall as Anna had picked out paint baised on SeoHyun's favorite color. Sage had assured him that SeoHyun had chosen the furniture. This meant that she would have something she could really call her own and might start to feel at home if she didn't feel that way already.

Anna and Sage weren't extremely surprised by the small size SeoHyun wore, she was one of the smallest werewolves they had ever seen in their lives. Bran and Charles had agreed as did Samuel when he heard about her from Bran. He had been shocked that a girl as young as her survived the Change.

"So who is she staying with, Da?" Samuel asked over the phone.

"Charles" Bran replied simply.

"You are talking about my brother, Charles, right?" Samuel asked.

"Yes, he and Anna formed a bond with her within a few minutes of rescuing her from her old pack. I will be bringing her into this pack either tonight or tomorrow morning, she needs to be part of the pack as soon as possible. She has never been part of a pack before this and it's about time that changed."

Samuel had to agree with Bran.

"Can you make it tomorrow so I can watch my niece join the pack." He asked half-jokingly. He was really glad that his brother was becoming more than an accountant and enforcer, he was getting the chance to experience what it meant to be a father. Samuel knew from personal experience that being a father could be a very rewarding job.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Charles sighed as he finished clearing out the room and they started putting the new paint on the walls. The smell of it bothered brother wolf slightly but they figured since SeoHyun didn't know how to use her nose as well, she wouldn't notice the fumes until they were gone, well really there weren't many fumes it was just he didn't like the smell of many kinds of paint. He knew it was necessary to make changes to the room so the room felt like home for SeoHyun.

In the end they had decided against painting the mockingjay on the wall in favor of putting her favorite color up. The mockingjay was in accessories around the room and he felt that was enough.

He knew that the transition between what happened in the San Diego pack and what she would experience here was going to be a challenge, trust wasn't something that came easily for SeoHyun, not anymore. She had been broken of the habit of thinking she could trust dominant wolves by her old pack; the fact that he managed to get through meant that he had made a very good impression on her.

Bran didn't let Charles know that Samuel was on his way, he had contacted him early that morning and told him that plans had changed and he was en route with Mercy in tow. He had tried to talk Mercy out of coming but she told him that she couldn't miss this; she was shocked that Charles was taking in a young wolf and she wanted to meet the little wolf that had made such a huge impression on Charles.

In Missoula the girls had done a lot of shopping for things like clothes and shoes for SeoHyun. They had found her a lot of cute things that she really liked and at really good prices as well. They had learned early on that she needed quite small sizes to fit her, meaning that some of the clothing that they came across in her size looked a bit childish for a girl her age. They still managed to get her a pretty decent wardrobe by the end of the trip.

Charles sighed as he stood to look at their hard work, it had taken hours to get the basics done and he only hoped she would like the accessories that some of the pack members and their families put into the room including a handmade storage box that now sat at the foot of the bed that would easily double as a bench for when she had friends over. The dark stained oak was a nice contrast to the light colors of the room including the pastel purple cushion that rested on top of it. Inside were warm, homemade quilts for when winter set in. The mockingjay that was the symbol of her favorite book series was burned into the front of the box with an expert hand. There had been a reason the box had been the last thing to get there, it must have taken hours to burn that into the wood. Charles figured whoever made it had started the day before, as soon as it was determined she would stay in Aspen Creek, and added the Mockingjay when he learned she liked the Hunger Games.

The shelves were filled with books that they hoped she would like including a brand new copy of each of the three Hunger Games books prominently displayed near a neatly arranged sitting area that was meant to be a reading nook, a chair, throw blanket and reading lamp defined the area. Most of the books were in English, he had ordered a few in Korean and they would be in later in the week.

SeoHyun looked at Sage then Anna, they had been diverted to Bran's house for the ceremony that would officially make her part of the Marrok Pack, one of the few submissives in the pack. She was shocked by the turn out from the pack when she arrived for the ceremony.

She didn't know the ceremony as her old pack hadn't actually made her a part of the pack yet. They said she couldn't join until she was older, thus why she was so surprised that Bran was in such a hurry to get her in as a part of this pack.

"I do not understand I thought I was too young to join a pack." She said as Charles walked her through the process of joining the pack.

"Who told you that?" he asked sounding slightly troubled that someone would do this to her. He figured it was the alpha of her old pack that said that due to the fact that no pack would tolerate a female as young or as submissive as her being abused if she were part of the pack, he was shocked they tolerated it at all.

"The former San Diego pack alpha," She replied confirming his suspicion.

"That isn't true, as young as you are you need to be a part of a pack, and as a female our rules require you be in a pack." He explained "The only reason I can think of that he would do otherwise is that he feared his pack would revolt if he abused such a young female pack member."

"So he lied to me," she said though it came out more like a question than a statement.

"Unfortunately he lied to you about a lot of things SeoHyun." He sighed "You should have been one of his children and it was his job to protect you but instead he hurt you."

He had to leave to help his father prepare but Anna and Sage took his place to keep watch over SeoHyun.

"So that's the tiny stray." A sharp voice cut in.

SeoHyun looked down while trying her best to hide behind Anna and Sage and Anna began to growl. She hated Leah and had thought, no hoped, that Leah was still in Missoula.

"Don't worry I'm not going to harm her, I'm just surprised she survived, she's such a tiny thing and a submissive to boot." Leah commented offhandedly before leaving.

"Who was she?" SeoHyun asked nervously.

Anna explained who she was then quickly added that she was nothing SeoHyun needed to worry about as they would not allow her harm, and that particular wolf didn't frequent Charles' home where she would live.

Anna reviewed what SeoHyun was taught by Charles before they went into the room to observe the ceremony then have the feast that was prepared to celebrate her joining the Marrok pack.

Samuel was positively stunned by the appearance of the young wolf as was Mercy.

"She is so tiny" Mercy said.

"She is…" Samuel replied "… she's nervous too and look at Charles."

Mercy looked over at Charles and noticed him completely on edge about something then realized it had to be the tension that stretched through SeoHyun's entire form as she stepped into the center of the room in front of Bran.

"Poor thing, she looks so scared." Mercy thought unaware that Samuel had the same thought.

Charles sighed and asked his father to delay for a few minutes so he could get SeoHyun to settle down before her edginess set off a cascade through the wolves that sometimes did good to keep control.

Bran agreed and got things settled down and Charles pulled SeoHyun aside to speak with her. Samuel couldn't resist following his younger brother to see what he said.

"SeoHyun, what is wrong?"

"I… I… do not know… there are… there are so many wolves in there."

"I know… but none of them are going to hurt you, SeoHyun… remember what I told you on the way here."

"Bran won't allow it." She said as if she had turned some version of that phrase into a mantra that she repeated in her head over and over.

"That's right, but more importantly I won't allow it." Charles added.

"He's right… no one would dare make a move against him." Samuel added.

SeoHyun jumped and tried to hide behind Charles.

"It's okay, SeoHyun, that's my brother, Samuel." Charles explained.

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Samuel watched as SeoHyun took a deep breath of his brother's scent in search of comfort. He had never thought anyone would find Charles anything but intimidating, but she did, she looked to him for comfort and protection and Charles obliged her need for a father. Samuel couldn't feel more proud of his brother in that moment.

They all returned to the meeting room, SeoHyun looking much calmer than she had minutes earlier. Bran gave her a soft smile then started the ceremony again. The pack magic began to build as he stepped forward to SeoHyun and Charles stepped up beside him.

"Look me in the eyes with no offense taken or meant, Lee SeoHyun"

"I see you, Bran Cornick, Alpha of the Marrok pack" she replied

Mercy noticed that SeoHyun had calmed down since her little chat with Charles and Samuel but she was still a little nervous.

"Will you join us, to hunt, to fight, to live and run?"

"Under the moon, I will hunt, fight, live and run with you and yours who shall be mine."

"We claim you" Charles said his voice tinted with pride.

His words echoed around the room.

"I claim you, Alpha's flesh and blood you shall be, mine to me and mine, pack."

Bran had cut a small bit of flesh from his arm and passed it t SeoHyun who looked to Charles then ate it.

"Yours to you, mine to me."

The magic hit with the force of a mac truck and SeoHyun's knees gave way, Bran was at her side within seconds. The bonds were strong and she felt an echo of calm through them that eased her mind in ways she had never dreamed possible.

She felt Bran's arms wrap around her.

"Welcome to the pack, little one." He said warmly, fatherly.

Charles joined them and took SeoHyun into his own arms from his father this was his pup, he would care for her.

Bran put his hand on his son's shoulder, pride showed in the old Bard's eyes as he saw his family grow via the adoption of the tiny werewolf. It was clear that this had been what Charles and Anna needed just as they were what she needed.

They soon went to fix their plates and SeoHyun felt more confident than she had since she was attacked by the rogue wolf and lost her parents.

Kara came forward with a large smile on her face.

"Welcome to the pack." She said with a smile.

"Thank you." SeoHyun replied embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving from the pack members, a lot of whom were adults long before her grandparents were born.

"I'm Kara; maybe we could get together sometime, get to know each other."

"That sounds good." She replied looking to Charles and Anna to confirm that it would be okay with them.

Anna noticed the corners of Charles' mouth pull up in an almost unperceivable smile.

"That sounds good to us." He said to the bolder female werewolf, he hoped that Kara could help SeoHyun adjust to her new environment and come out of her shell. He knew that as a dominant Kara would take to wanting to protect SeoHyun, even though SeoHyun was a little older than Kara, and both girls would be able to relax and be themselves leading to what he hoped would be a good friendship.

Kara found herself wanting to ask if SeoHyun really lived with Anna and Charles Cornick, but she knew that several pack members had spent most of the day getting the room ready for SeoHyun even Asil had donated some of his precious roses to the cause by placing a few pink roses in the room. She had helped find some of the accessories that went in there along with her foster parents. She hoped that SeoHyun would enjoy her new room and her new life in Aspen Creek.

SeoHyun sat by Charles and Bran came up and sat beside SeoHyun, she looked nervous for a moment then his energy reached for her and she began to calm down.

"Don't worry little one" Bran said placing a hand on her arm, "You are safe here, as your alpha it's my job to make sure of that."

She looked at his hand and a small, slightly nervous smile formed on her face that relaxed into the first sign of true happiness they had seen.

"That's it, my child, relax, be happy, this is your home."

Bran gave her a side hug and she leaned into it but began to laugh and pulled away when Bran decided to test to see if her ribs were ticklish, they were. Samuel laughed at this as he sat across the table from them and Charles smiled at this as it was the first time they had heard her laugh.

They ate dinner and Charles reminded her that as a werewolf she needed to go ahead and eat more than she would have before the change and could eat whatever she liked. She did just that and ate her fill then quietly leaned against his shoulder sleepily and a smile formed on his features.

"Looks like someone had a long day." Samuel commented with an amused smile.

"We did," Anna smiled as she noticed her foster daughter's drooping eyes. Charles had moved his arm so she rested on his chest in a position that wouldn't allow her to fall if she actually fell asleep, a very probable outcome, as Samuel walked around the table to talk to his brother.

"How does it feel to be the 'Da' now?" Samuel whispered into his brother's ear in Welsh "or have you had a chance to digest it yet?"

"I'm still getting used to it, Samuel" Charles replied honestly, he had followed his brother's example though he didn't know why they were speaking Welsh instead of English.

"Are you going to see if she wants to call you that?" Samuel asked.

"I wouldn't want her to think that I am trying to take her father's place, it's too soon after his death." Charles replied having realized she had somehow fallen asleep.

"Let her make that choice," Samuel replied switching back to English as he clapped a hand on the younger wolf's shoulder brotherly. "She might surprise you." With that Samuel walked away to catch up with Sage.

Mercy had a wistful smile on her face as she watched the way Charles handed SeoHyun, with so much care and love. She had never seen the Marrok's younger son act this way, he had always been so intimidating and, while that hadn't changed, he could be intimidating as hell when he wanted to be, this was something different, this was a loving Charles, a Charles that was becoming a father.

"SeoHyun, you need to wake up." Charles whispered gently into her hair.

"Already?" she asked.

"We need to go home, then you can go back to sleep." Charles told her gently.

"Okay…" she trailed clearly unhappy with being waked up so quickly after dozing off and her accent was thick with sleep.

Bran barely held in his chuckle at realizing SeoHyun had fallen asleep; it was rather late at nearly midnight. What he had really found funny was the position she had fallen asleep in, if that didn't proclaim her faith in Charles nothing did.

"Bye, Da," Charles said as they started to go home.

"By Charles, let me know how she likes the room." Bran requested.

"I will, Da." Charles replied as they started out to his truck.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((A&O))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

SeoHyun was looking forward to seeing how her room turned out, she didn't know what to expect. She knew what the furniture looked like as she picked it with Sage's help. She had been going for the less expensive things but Sage insisted to get what she really wanted and not worry so much about price.

Sage ended up having to have Charles tell her that she could have whatever she wanted that he could afford it. She had choose what she wanted but she felt slightly guilty about it even though Charles and Anna both told her not to worry about it several times.

"Thank you, Charles" SeoHyun said

"Don't worry about it, SeoHyun, it was my pleasure." He replied as they went to her room.

"We're right across the hall if you ever need us, bathroom is right here." Anna told her then pointed at a different door.

She opened the door to her room and gasped.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

SeoHyun gasped as she entered her room. It was beautiful. The furniture consisted of a whitewashed for poster bed, matching chest of drawers and full length mirror. She first saw the foot of the bed as she entered the room, the chest was to her right and the door to her closet was that way as well. The mirror stood between the bed and the closet door facing into the room. On the opposite side of the bed a reading was a reading nook with a comfortable chair throw blanket and an antique bronze lamp. There were book shelves on the wall, all of which were painted mint green. The linens on the bed were patterned with pastel zig zag stripes. Then her eyes were drawn to the storage chest with the flaming mockingjay emblem burned into the front panel and a pastel purple cushion on top.

Charles smiled as she walked around looking at all of the little details that she had not been able to see on the first look around. She obviously loved it.

"Thank you" she sounded excited, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "It's perfect!"

She returned to Charles and Anna and gave them quick hugs of gratitude before going back in to take in what she could before the exhaustion took over.

Charles and Anna left her to enjoy her room as they went to their own to go to bed. Charles called Bran and let his Da know that she loved her new bedroom.

Charles checked up on her an hour later and found her curled up in the reading nook asleep. She had changed into her pajamas and started to read a book when her exhaustion hit full force and she dozed off in the recovered, antique chair.

Anna watched in amusement as Charles placed SeoHyun into bed and tucked her in. They had never even discussed being parents but in that moment she couldn't have felt more like a mom.

Charles came out and turned out the lights just a moment later. All the hard work the pack had put in had been worth it to see SeoHyun that happy. She was learning quickly how normal packs treated their submissive wolves, they were the thing that gave a pack purpose and functioned as the heart of the pack they in. A submissive wolf was a thing to be treasured and here she was treated like she was.

He left her door open and, to Anna's surprise, also left their own open so SeoHyun could quickly locate them if she needed them and they could hear her better if she cried out. Anna figured the former was a bigger reason behind the open door than the latter as they would be able to hear her cry either way.

About four in the morning Charles woke to sobs and the strong smell of fear coming from SeoHyun's room. He got up and headed into SeoHyun's room to see her sitting up in bed crying with fear.

Charles sat with her and soon he was holding her, he wasn't good at bringing comfort with words, not like his brother or Da, their clever tongues made it look far too easy. Soon, with very little prompting; SeoHyun told him about her dream. She had dreamed her old Alpha had returned and took her away from them by force. She gave a humorless laugh.

"You would think I would know better, you killed him in front of me and even if you didn't... He wouldn't be allowed to take me away." She said wiping tears from her eyes.

"You've only been here a couple of days; give it time, I'm sure those dreams will fade eventually." Charles assured her as he held her.

He noticed her taking deep breaths through her nose filling her nose with his scent; taking comfort in his presence. He felt his pride growing, she had only been with him less than a day in total but she already knew to use her nose to find comfort in his presence. Soon she had fell asleep again and Charles tucked her in but waited a few more minutes to make sure she was asleep before going back to bed himself.

Morning came with no more nightmares for SeoHyun, she was doing better and Charles could see that she had relaxed a lot since she arrived. It was clear that the pack bonds had a lot to do with her calmer state, but Charles couldn't help notice that she was still leery of members of the pack she wasn't familiar, this became all too clear when Collin Taggart arrived and she hid from him.

"She's still really skittish." Tag observed as Anna coaxed SeoHyun to come to the kitchen with her.

"She's getting better; believe it or not, she just doesn't like strangers very much." Charles replied. "Her old pack had her so beaten down; it's going to take time for her to learn to trust again. The full moon hunt is going to be interesting for her, being in an inner city pack means it was hard for them to find good hunting grounds, not to mention with the way she was treated by the pack I can't help but wonder if she was even allowed to participate in the hunt."

"Who knows… we'll see in a few days when the full moon arrives" Tag sighed as he watched her work with Anna. "I was so shocked by how tiny she is, and how submissive." He continued "Some of that has to be because of the abuse her old pack put her through, it's going to take time for her to realize that's all over, but the way it looks she's in good hands. I get the feeling Bran is going to be a big help as well… he's good with youngsters like her."

Charles nodded in agreement; he knew his father and brother were good with young wolves, what he didn't understand is what endeared her to him. He wondered if it might have anything to do with the fact that he was the one to rescue her, not his brother or Da or if there was something more going on, maybe the spirits did intervene to bring her to him instead of Samuel or someone else.

The full moon night was upon them and everyone began to gather for the hunt. SeoHyun looked nervous as she ever was. They had told her she didn't have to participate in the main hunt that she could do her own hunting and for small game and just watch them for now. She could join the main hunt when she was older.

She stripped and tucked her clothing by Anna's in a bush and began the change as soon as the moon began to rise. She was surprised when Charles came to stand beside her fully transformed before she was half through her own change. It looked as if he were standing guard over her as she went through the most vulnerable stages of her change. Soon she was standing on all four paws, shaking herself as if she were wet in an attempt to shake the pain of the change. She hated that part of the change, she had been told it doesn't get better but she would eventually get used to it.

Soon everyone ran off and she decided to do some exploring before finding her dinner. She turned a corner and noticed something walking around the corner and went after it.

Charles had kept his bond with SeoHyun open as much as possible, his bond with her was kind of weak due to the fact that it was typical pack bond, but that didn't mean he didn't notice when a yelp of pain shot through the forest and through the bond from her.

To Be Continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Charles instantly broke off from his pursuit to find SeoHyun and see what had happened to her. He could feel her pain and fear through the pack bonds, he had no idea what caused it and had to admit he was scared for her. His brother wolf was screaming for answers. What hurt her? What she was so scared of?

He got to her and felt relief wash over him as he saw his da standing over her; then he noticed the porcupine quills sticking out of SeoHyun's muzzle. It was the closest in his two hundred year life he ever felt to wanting to face-palm, he settled for shaking his head in a very human gesture. He had to remind himself she was young and a new wolf to boot; she had never been in the Montana wilderness and would obviously be curious about things like porcupines and other creatures that she likely would have never seen before.

SeoHyun had cowered when Bran found her and gave him her throat instantly. The old wolf replied to that reaction by nuzzling her reassuringly. Really, he hadn't been shocked by this development; young wolves seemed to be magnets for trouble. Especially wolves that were turned in their teens, and while Charles would deny it up and down he had not been an exception as a child and werewolf and his brother would never let him forget that skunk he'd run into at ten no matter how hard it seemed Charles tried to forget that it had ever happened.

It hadn't taken long to get SeoHyun to one of the humans, a man named Josh, who could get the quills out of her muzzle with Charles to help her keep her wolf under control through the pain of their removal. He would talk with her once the sun was up; make sure she understood that her curiosity didn't get her in any trouble.

A whimper pulled Charles back into the moment and he nuzzled her gently to calm her as Josh announced the last quill was out and he let her back to her feet. She kept her head and tail low in classic submissive posture as others joined her.

"Don't worry there, kiddo, experience is a good teacher." he then looked at Charles "She's fine, the holes have already healed up."

Josh started to clean the area where the wounds were when he realized Anna, who had arrived while his back was turned, had beat him to the punch and started licking her muzzle where the quills had been.

"She's okay mama wolf" Josh laughed "just a little blood in her fur and some embarrassment, nothing that will do permanent harm.

Charles gave a snort and started out Anna and SeoHyun following close behind him. Josh just watched, no one was used to the way Charles acted since SeoHyun was brought into Aspen Creek. She had changed his entire demeanor in a lot of ways, he had a purpose outside of being his father's enforcer and mate to Anna; he was a father himself and, while he didn't realize it, his own father was purposely screening jobs for him a lot more carefully so he could stay at home with his family.

Bran understood that Charles wanted to be there with his mate and child a lot more than he did a lot of things in his life. He had never been given the opportunity to be a father and seemed to be taking the responsibility on without too much trouble. Bran was well aware that Charles was not like Samuel, Samuel was very personable, very open with himself, Charles was more reserved but at the same time it seemed that wasn't too much of a problem in the relationship between him, Anna and SeoHyun.

Later that night he came upon SeoHyun eating on a small raccoon that she had taken down on her own. He stayed downwind of her not sure how she would react to his presence, would she keep eating or try to surrender her hard earned kill to him which was the last thing he desired. That was her meal and he was proud of her for her success.

He watched as she polished off the raccoon then followed her as she found a clearing to rest after that, rather large, meal. This time, Charles joined her, nuzzling at her cheek to get her attention. She looked at him then put her head down submissively, trusting him in ways she trusted few others even in the pack. Then again she hadn't been in the pack a month yet and the abuse would take time to overcome. He laid down beside her and she nuzzled up with her nose under his jaw, he replied by putting a front leg over her protectively as if to tell her not to worry that anything that would threaten her would have to go through him first.

Bran watched as Anna joined them, lying on the opposite side of SeoHyun than her mate. If he had been unsure of putting SeoHyun with his son and daughter-in-law the sight of them lying together in that clearing wiped out any doubt that she was safe in their hands. SeoHyun didn't notice Anna's arrival, she had already gone to sleep under Charles' watch; they would stay there for an hour or two before all three going out to hunt again, this time as a family unit that took down an injured deer with no problem.

That morning found SeoHyun exhausted but full, and feeling like she had a family again for the first time in almost three months; laying on the forest floor encased in the protective love that Charles and Anna provided made her feel secure in her place in the pack in their home, which was now hers as well. She was learning that submissive meant protected, cared for and loved. She wasn't useless, she wasn't hopeless, she was wanted, she gave the pack purpose, gave Charles purpose outside of being his father's assassin. He stepped into the role of father with ease that surprised even him, but then again fathering a submissive wolf wasn't hard, she never challenged his authority, she obeyed the rules quite happily and allowed Charles his position as head of the family.

Thorough the next few weeks she began to bond more with other wolves in the pack, particularly Sage who played the doting aunt role up to an art, often buying her things such as books, and clothing, including a new dress for the first day of school which was coming up far too quickly for Charles and Anna's liking. Sure they had no worries about SeoHyun controlling her wolf, from the moment they realized how submissive she was they figured that wouldn't be an issue. Submissives weren't as volatile as their dominant counterparts and could easily handle a lot of things that would get dominants in trouble in a public forum this soon after being changed.

SeoHyun stood out by one of the pasture fences petting one of the many horses that would come for attention when she went to the fence. She adored them and wished Charles would teach her to ride, but had yet to come up with a way to ask him.

She looked up as Charles joined her by the fence.

"Charles, do… do you think you could teach me how to ride a horse?" she asked nervously.

"Of course… if that's what you want." Charles smiled and leaned against the fence.

"Yes, it is" SeoHyun replied.

"Okay, we start tomorrow morning." He told her simply, and that was that.

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 8

The morning of her first day in Aspen Creek School found her fiddling with the new dress and sandals that Sage brought her while standing in front of the full length mirror. She looked over her shoulder at Charles as he came to stand in her open door; she knew he could smell her anxiety as she could smell it on herself.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." He told her certainly and without as much as an invitation stepped behind her and started French Braiding her hair. They had spoken the night before about him doing this for her but she had forgotten until that moment that he had agreed to do this for her first day of school.

"I'm just nervous, it's my first day, new school, new state…" she left the thought hang but Charles knew she was thinking of her parents, how this would be her first day of school without her mother and father there to see her off to school, instead it was him and Anna. He finished her braid and placed his hands on her shoulders momentarily noticing how his teak completion contrasted with her light olive one. He noted the tension that spread across her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze as his brother wolf used his energy to remind her that he was her protector, her dominant and would never put her in a position where she was in danger of harm. Charles marveled at how she relaxed under that energy then turned to embrace him. He wasn't used to bringing comfort to anyone except Anna and he had to admit he liked it. He returned the embrace.

Anna came to let them know she had fixed them breakfast and they went to eat before going out to the truck to drive to school.

SeoHyun looked out the windshield of the truck as Anna drove, this was typical, Anna behind the wheel and Charles riding along. They arrived at the school, parked the truck and walked in as a family to get her ready to go to class. They were met by an administrator who had a few papers for them to fill out before sending SeoHyun on her way to meet up with her classmates and get her schedule.

SeoHyun stood beside Charles, she was nervous but doing her best to keep her wolf under control. Really at this point it wasn't hard to keep control, she knew that she didn't have anything to worry about, Aspen Creek was her home and she felt safe in this town. She knew that she had her pack behind her to help her keep control.

She had not felt this safe since her parents passed away and she honestly liked it. She looked at Charles, a man so many feared and a small smiled formed on her face. She understood why they feared him but personally never had a reason to do so. To her, he was the one that helped her get her wolf under control, the one who taught her how to ride a horse, one of her favorite things to do.

Charles could barely keep in his smile as SeoHyun leaned her head against his arm. She had only been living with him and his mate for a few short months but he already couldn't imagine his life without her in it. He hadn't been sure about taking her in, but now she was as good as his daughter and he would do anything to keep his little girl safe. He had never really understood why his father bonded so tightly to Mercy, but SeoHyun opened his eyes to a type of love he had never known before and never wanted to be without.

 **The End**


End file.
